A City of Light
by For Rhyme or Reason
Summary: The path to get into the most prestigious school in Kalos is a difficult one to travel, but the reward is great. Follow a group of kids vying for one of the few spots available. SYOC. CLOSED! Remember to review.
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

* * *

No matter how much the light bled through her curtains. No matter how loud her alarm clock chimed. And no matter the fact she knew she had to get up. No matter what was going on, all she wanted to do was roll over, push her head underneath a pillow, and go back to sleep. It wasn't going to happen, but she really wanted it to. Lark was never much of a morning person, despite her name sake. She looked at early mornings like this one like diseases. All they did was make her moody and tired.

 _Brrrriiiiiinnnggg! Brrrriiiiiinnnggg! Brrrriiiiiinnnggg!_

Her alarm clock rang out in its most high-pitched shrill of a cry. It was like every time she pressed the snooze button, it just kept getting louder; louder and more annoying until she couldn't take it anymore. She rolled over, though not taking off the pillow perfectly balanced on her face, and hit the clock repeatedly. Somehow she managed to make it shut-up, though it fell on the floor in the process.

"Nee ta gret ahf," she mumbled to herself, though muffled by the pillow.

Slowly she sat up, the pillow finally falling off her face only to reveal the usually morning mess that was Lark. Her naturally smooth and straight auburn hair was knotted and tangled, turning almost into a fro. Her eyes were just barely open and fenced by dark circles. A trail of drool was already starting to make its way down her chin from her mouth that was carelessly hanging open. She definitely was not a morning person.

"Need to get up," Lark repeated, over and over. "Need to get up."

She didn't move at first, just sitting there motionless. But after repeating the phrase a few tens of times, she finally began to truly "get up". She swung her legs over the bed. They hung over from underneath the blanket that still was on her lap. Lark struggled with the blanket, but managed to get it off so she could stand up. Just barely dodging the fallen alarm clock on the floor – by some miracle – Lark walked out of her room and to the bathroom to get ready.

The only reason she was up before noon today had come a few days before and was sitting on her nightstand. Lying beside the off-white envelope they came in was a matching letter and a deep blue pamphlet. The letter laid open, revealing it to be decorated in lovely, elegant hand-writing.

* * *

 _Dear Mlle Lark Vogel:_

 _We here at Lycée le Bijou pride ourselves on teaching the next generation of exceptional Pokémon trainers, handlers, and breeding. We look for only the best and the brightest to attend our school. You, Miss Vogel, sent in an application for our breeder program. Upon extensive reading and consideration, you have been passed to the second stage of admission._

 _There are three stages of admission here. The first stage – the application – you passed, allowing you to move up to the second stage. The second stage is a test in your chosen program; in your case, breeding._

 _The test will take place at the school building in Lumiose City on the first of Spring._

 _We are aware of your current living status in Unova and will help set up a plane ride to and from Kalos. We are also willing to recommend multiple places for you to stay, though you will have to pay for these yourself. Along with this letter is a pamphlet for the school. It includes all necessary information on navigating the city and finding the building as where your tests will take place._

 _Sincerely,  
_ ℛ⻥6⻦0⻚2 ℳ⻤2⻥9⻤2⻥0⻦0  
 _Rose Marais  
Dean of Admissions_

* * *

Never had Lark believed she would make the cut, even to the testing phase. She sent in the application with a little hope, but not a whole lot. So when that letter came, she was beyond ecstatic. It was finally a chance to leave Unova, the region she had lived her entire life and never left. Heck, she hadn't even left Virbank City. Even if it was just for a test – not even a guarantee she was going to be accepted – she was finally given a reason to leave. And to Kalos of all regions. Kalos had always been rumored to be one the prettiest regions, or at least that is what she heard. She had seen pictures of the Sundial, in Anistar City, and the Prism Tower, which could be found in Lumiose City. But all she ever saw was pictures and only of big landmarks.

Lark emerged from the bathroom fully ready. Her hair was brushed, face washed, and drool halted. Today was an important day. She needed to at least semi-decent, even though she was definitely not feeling it. Today she was leaving Unova for the first time. She wanted to look nice and try not to look out of her element when they touched down in Kalos.

Lark walked over to the full-length mirror hanging on the wall across her room. She looked at herself in the eye, a decided look spreading across her face.

"Let's do this," she said, determined spreading through her entirely.

* * *

 **As labeled, that was the prologue for "A City of Light". And as previously stated – multiple times – this will be taking place in Kalos, more specifically Lumiose City. It will revolve around a group of students trying to get into the most prestigious school in Kalos, Lycée le Bijou (translates: "High School Jewel").**

 **This is an SYOC and is currently CLOSED! Character list will be released next chapter.  
**


	2. Chapter 1: The Not-So-Grand Departure

**Let's get this out of the way. As a warning, I do not speak French. I rely heavily on Google Translate – I know, not the best – and some French slang/phrases websites. I apologize now if the French in this story is not always** _ **proper**_ **. I will try my best however.**

 **Remember to review. :)**

* * *

 _ **Chapter One: "The Not-So-Grand Departure"**_

* * *

It was her first time on a plane and it was rough to say the least. Nerve-racking was another good way to put it. Lark was expecting a smooth flight with little-to-few people aboard, like how her friends explained it to her. She, however, did not get what she expected. Instead she was stuck in a center seat between two people who did not know the meaning of "personal space" with turbulence being hit what felt like every second.

 _Early flights are better, they said. There are barely any people on them_ , Lark complained in her head.

She had been hoping to catch up on her sleep on the plane, so she would be fresh-faced upon landing. That way she could explore Lumiose City for the entire day. It was the only reason she took an early flight. But with the way things were going, she would probably be heading straight to her hotel room to sleep the rest of the day. What a waste.

 _Calm down_ , she thought.

But that was easier said than done. What with the jerking of the plane, she barely had any air to breathe. It wasn't just the two people squishing her; the entire plane was filled. Apparently everyone had decided that the early flight was the best, not just Lark.

"We'll be landing in about thirty minutes. It shouldn't be much longer."

The voice came from above Lark. She jumped a bit from being surprised, though that might have been partially the plane's fault too. Either way, she was startled by the sudden voice hovering above her. Upon looking up, she found a blonde haired head hanging over her seat, looking down at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I said, we'll be landing soon, so you don't need to keep being anxious," he repeated. "Only half an hour left."

The boy was hanging over her seat, having been sitting behind her originally. His disheveled blonde hair fell down; though due to him looking down, it merely framed his face instead of covering it up. His green eyes remained clear as they met Lark's. He had a simple, cheerful expression across his face. However this was not changing the scowl forming across Lark's.

"I wouldn't consider half an hour "soon"," she pointed out, furrowing her brows.

"Really? I mean, it could be worse," he said. "It could be another hour on this stuffy flight."

Lark rolled her eyes and looked back down. She did not need this right now. While on a normal day - at a normal time - she might be as cheerful and as friendly as this guy, maybe even more so. But right now, all she wanted to do was be left alone.

"So why were you in Unova?" he asked.

 _Does this guy understand the meaning of an eye roll?_ she thought as she continued to ignore him.

"Hey, did you hear me? Are you like from Unova?" he asked again, completely ignoring the fact Lark was ignoring him.

"Nah, I just like to fly," Lark said in an over-sarcastic tone.

"Oh, alright," he said. "My name's Blaine, par la manière. What is yours?"

Lark remained quiet. Sarcasm didn't seem to work with this dude and neither did the eye roll. The only thing keeping her from completely snapping at him was her remained silent.

"Yo, do you have a name?" he asked, tapping on her head.

With a quick swipe, Lark swatted away his head while ducking her head down.

"Did your mom never teach you about personal space?!" she snapped.

Lark heard two simultaneous scoffs from either side of her. Both people sitting beside her scoffed, not at her, but at the boy, Blaine. Lark at least knew she had two people who agreed with her on this matter, even if those two people also didn't know the meaning of personal space.

"Sorry," he apologized. "But do you have a name or not? You know, nom? Comment tu t'appelles?"

 _Seriously?! What is up with this guy?_ Lark thought, but a sudden image of her being just as persist popped into her mind. She was only being so snippy because she was tired. If she wasn't, she would probably chatting along with Blaine.

 _Still, at least I know boundaries_ , she thought. She didn't, but whatever she needed to think to write off her behavior.

"Lark," she muttered.

Blaine struggled to hear Lark, but managed to figure out what she said.

"Lark, eh?" he repeated. "Ah, Alouette!"

"Aloo-what?" Lark questioned, thrown off by the sudden foreign language.

Blaine looked down at her inquisitively, but then just laughed.

"You aren't from Kalos, huh? You don't speak French," he said with a chuckle. "Your namesake – the lark – translates into Alouette, thus your name in French is Alouette."

"What a strange language," Lark simply commented, turning her attention back to her lap.

Suddenly a flight attendant walked down the aisle, clutching onto each row of seats as she tried to remain steady in her heels. She looked like she couldn't walk in heels normally, let alone on a bumpy flight. She stopped at Lark's row, glaring straight at Blaine, who was still hanging over Lark's seat.

"Monsieur, would you please take your seat," she commanded more than asked.

Blaine looked up at her, confused for a second, but then sighed.

"Fine," he said. "Nice talking to you, Lark."

And with that, he plopped down. Lark heard the sound of his seat creak as he sat down. She didn't know if that was a good sign that the plane was in good shape or what. The attendant wouldn't leave until Blaine buckled in. When he finally did, she stumbled down the aisle once more.

 _At least I have some peace_ , Lark thought.

Like it knew what she was thinking, a baby began to cry out, drowning out all other noises on the plane. And if that wasn't worse, the guy to Lark's right was beginning to sweat due to the fan above him apparently not working right. The guy's sweat smelled like spoiled beef.

 _I'm in Hell_ , she continued her thought.

* * *

 **Next chapter we will be touching down in Kalos, more specifically Lumiose City. We met Blaine, who was submitted by the user, ShadeZyro. His character has much more detail than I was able to show in just one chapter, so don't judge him just yet. Also, I am trying to keep the chapters short enough that I can update daily. No promises, but that is what I am striving for [daily].  
**

 **As I put down in the previous chapter, here is the characters list (in alphabetical order):**

 **1.) Amon Heise  
2.) Blaine Ross  
3.) Eleanor Belrose  
4.) Joan Sinclair  
5.) Joji Mizugameza  
6.) Kaye Aoki  
7.) Kirei Ohitsujiza  
8.) Lark Vogel  
9.) Livio Bosquet  
10.) Marie Yount  
11.) Nathaniel Shard  
12.) Steven Fiske**

 ***I decided to add three more characters to the original anticipated nine, making for twelve characters instead.**

 **Sorry to all who did not make the cut. Some of you guys did not seem to read the rules, thus cutting your character. With the rest I had to decide which characters would work best together, thus cutting those I did not seeing fitting well in the story. Thanks to all those who submitted though, whether or not your character was accepted. I managed to get more than enough characters in less than 24 hours. Thank-you.**

 **TRANSLATIONS:**

1.) "Par la manière" translates to "by the way".  
2.) "Comment tu t'appelles" translates to "What's your name", but also translates to "How you're named".  
3.) "Alouette" translates to "Lark".


	3. Chapter 2: The Final Touchdown

**In response to the reviews…**

 **Thank-you to all of you who had commented on the last two chapters and gave such positive words.**

 **Pookiecorn, I am planning on having the story branch off a bit. While it will remain third-person, I am planning on developing multiple storylines down the line. For right now however, I am sticking with Lark.**

 **Sung Blue, you are right that Lark** _ **should**_ **have brushed up a little bit on French, especially seeing how it is one of the primary languages used in the Kalos region. But I feel like this shows just how unprepared Lark truly is. She didn't even think there was a language barrier nor did she think to look if there was. Also, thank-you and I hope I can keep up with Blaine.**

 **As for other characters down the line, I am planning on introducing them a bit slower. I felt like Blaine could easily be introduced this way, but not all characters are alike and introducing them in a "Hi-My-Name-Is-blablabla" [as Sung Blue nicely put it] kind of way wouldn't work. Just a heads up, most of the older characters (15 and up) will most likely come later than the 14-year olds.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Two: "The Final Touchdown"**_

* * *

The next thirty minutes passed rather slowly. Lark didn't know how such time could go so fast when she was relaxing, watching television, or even doing absolutely nothing. Time goes by so quickly then, but when she is literally begging for the clock to speed up, nothing but agonizing seconds. Nonetheless she somehow managed. The plane finally landed and Lark was finally able to get off the damned plane.

How she wanted to rush off the plane, but the neither person on either side of her would move. It seemed like they were willing to be the last people off the metal bird. Lark didn't particularly like it, but at least she would be off soon enough. She watched as people filed passed her, including the blond Blaine. He waved as he left. Lark managed a half-hearted lift of the hand in response, though Blaine didn't seem to realize the lack of enthusiasm behind it. He left with a smile.

Finally it was Lark's turn, and with bags in hand, she got off as quickly as she could. Once in the crowded airport, she began to calm down. Despite the pushing of people and the echoes of shouting and loud-speaker announcements, Lark felt a whole lot better than she did on the metal deathtrap. Here she was at least on the ground and in her element; surrounded by people. And regardless of being so tired, she began to lighten up a little too.

She started to navigate the crowds and head towards the baggage area. In her mind, she formed her plan. All she needed at the baggage area was her single suitcase. Afterwards she would need to grab a cab and head to her hotel. Even if she was beginning to feel a bit better, and possibly good enough to wander around the city for a bit, she still needed to drop off her bags.

A sudden bump from a person brought her attention to somewhere else. The bag she was carrying suddenly jostled. Nothing fell out, but Lark suddenly remembered the contents and recalled that _they_ would probably need some stretching time too.

"In due time guys," she whispered, patting her bag and continuing on her way.

It took no time to grab her suitcase and find the exit of the airport. Outside she was greeted by a spectacular sight. She had grown up in a city, yes. And yes, Virbank City was a large city. But Lumiose appeared to be so much more. Just from her view from the doors of the airport, Lark could tell that this city was far more than just a "large" city. It was vast. No, much more than vast. It seemed immense. The buildings were large, though didn't have the same industrial feel as Virbank did. Here the buildings kept a romantic feel to their architecture. Everything had a light and airy feel to it. Lark could even smell the aroma of fresh flowers; something she had never experienced before.

"Wow," was all she could muster under her amazement.

She stumbled forward, though with some help from the people pushing her out of their way. The sudden pushes did help her gather some of her senses. In a manageable daze, she hailed a taxi.

"Where to?" asked the driver as Lark got in.

"Um, oh," she said, having been staring out the window instead of listening. "Hotel Coumarine."

"Alright," said the driver, zipping out.

As he drove along, Lark looked out the window as buildings flashed by. Even at second-long glances, she could tell they were beautiful. She could make out flower boxes hanging outside each of the higher windows. And if there were flower boxes, there were balconies. Lark figured that is was the flowers in the boxes that were giving off the scent she had smelled. She loved it so far.

"So this your first time in Kalos?" the driver asked.

Lark just nodded at first, though followed it up with a single, "Yea."

And the driver just chuckled. He was apparently humored by Lark's amazement with the city. It didn't faze Lark though. Sure, if he had laughed at her when she was stuck in the plane, she may have had something different to say, but after seeing the city, she couldn't help but ignore even the smallest of things that would normally annoy her.

"You'll get over that sense of wonder soon enough," he said. "Soon you'll see Lumiose as just another city."

"I don't think so," she whispered.

A pause broke the conversation, though, again, Lark didn't seem to care. She was concentrating more the scenery outside than the conversation happening inside anyway.

"So what business do you have in Coumarine?" the driver asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, um. Nothing really, it just had the cheapest hotel rates," Lark answered.

"Ah, so you're here for the city," he said. "So here for the shopping or something more?"

"Something more," she said. "Lycée le Bijou."

"The Pokémon school, eh ?" the driver asked.

This was enough to gain Lark's attention. She somehow managed to break her focus from the city outside and looked at the back of the driver's head. He in-turn looked at her through his rearview mirror.

"You know it?" she asked.

"Of course," he said. "Everyone in the region knows of Bijou. It is one of the most respected schools known anyway."

"Oh," said she. She knew it was big, but for whatever reason, it didn't seem to hit her until now.

"So you managed to gain admission to it?" he followed up.

"Not exactly," she answered, remembering she still had two more stages to pass before she would have that honor.

"I see," he said. "Still impressive that an étranger managed to get so far."

"Étranger?" Lark parroted.

"You might want to brush up on your French if you're planning on staying longer than a week," the driver commented.

"Right," Lark said, nodding.

First Blaine, now the driver. If people are just going to throw around French vocabulary so willy-nilly, Lark was going to have no choice.

"Look out your window," the driver said.

"Why?"

"Because we're leaving the city," he explained. "If you thought the city look pretty, you're going to love what the rest of Kalos looks like."

* * *

 **Roughly the same size as the first chapter; a little more than a 1,000 words. Lark will make it to her hotel next chapter and I am thinking of introducing another character. If I do, who do you want to see next? Type of person that is.**

 **TRANSLATIONS:**

1.) "Étranger" means "Foreigner".


	4. Chapter 3: The Flowered Road

**Sorry about missing yesterday. I decided to sleep instead of writing. But I'm back today, so no worries. Again, I will try to write every day, but there are no promises.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Three: "The Flowered Road"**_

* * *

The taxi driver was right, Kalos was stunning. Lark had looked out the window just as they were leaving the tunnel-like gate. Her vision was quickly filled with bright colours and simplistic, ornamental scenes. The road was lined with flowers of varying colours; some blue, some red, some even a mixture of purple and pink. The variations coming together made the sight that just much more beautiful, at least of Lark. And the aroma of such a sight was wonderful too. It wafted in from the open driver window, making its way to Lark. She closed her eyes as she took in the sight.

"It'll take a bit before we get to Coumarine," the driver said. "Is there anything you want to know about Kalos in the meantime?"

There was a lot Lark wanted to know, like more about the language barrier or any other cultural differences. But she figured it would be best to learn on her own. It was the easiest way for her to retain the information. Besides, she was too busy being enthralled with every aspect of the scenery that she wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything the driver had to say.

"No thank-you," she said.

"Alright," he responded. "I'll tell you when we get closer."

"Thank-you."

Lark went back to looking out the window. She looked to some of the fields lying behind the row of flowers. It was made up of knee-high grass, and while she knew she couldn't see all of them, it was easy to see a lot of the Pokémon that played in the grass. Some of them were familiar faces she saw back in Unova, much to her relief. At least something was similar here to back home. But there were some new faces amongst them, ones Lark did not regonize. They must have been unique Pokémon to the region.

"What are those?" Lark asked, pointing to a Pokémon.

The driver glanced out his window and, unsure of which Pokémon she was gesturing to, asked, "Which one?"

"The one playing with the Deerling; the weird one with the leaf collar," Lark specified.

"Oh, that's a Skiddo," he said. "I guess they don't have Skiddos in many other regions. It's a grass-Pokémon that many people ride in the region, which is where it got its nickname as the "Mount Pokémon". There is actually a service in Lumiose that allows you to ride around the city on them."

"Really?" asked an amazed Lark.

People didn't just _ride_ _around_ on Pokémon in Unova. Well, there were some people who would ride Pokémon, but it wasn't a common practice in Unova. And most of the time, you would only ride a Pokémon if you needed to get somewhere you couldn't normally get to, like across a body of water or up a cliff. It was rarely, if never, about fun and entertainment.

"There are quite a few unique Pokémon here in Kalos," explained the driver. "I'm sure you'll see them soon enough."

Lark nodded as she stared out the window. She could only hope so.

* * *

The time passed rather quickly, or at least that was how it felt to Lark. The entire ride she had been looking out the window, trying to find Kalos-only Pokémon. She managed to find a couple; a Furfrou running amongst the flowers and a Dendenne – which was pretty hard to spot due to its size – along the edge of the flowers.

"There it is," the driver announced.

Lark pulled her attention from the side window to the front. The "city" was pretty small. It only had a handful of houses, all which looked quite small. There was also a single Pokémon Center, though that looked to be the biggest building there. The city very much fell flat to what Lark was expecting. It didn't even look similar to the pictures she saw when making the reservation with her parents.

"This isn't what the pictures looked like," she said. "I thought it was supposed to have a port."

The driver chuckled, making Lark even more confused.

"What? Am I missing something?" she asked.

"Very much so," he answered. "The town is split in two. This is just the southern half of it. You'll have to take the monorail to get to the other half, which is much bigger. That is also where the hotel is."

"Oh," Lark simply said.

"I'll drop you off at the monorail station," explained the driver. "All you'll have to do is get on and then, once in the northern half, you'll easily spot the hotel. It is right near the station."

"Okay," she said.

The driver then pulled up in front of what Lark assumed to be the monorail station. It was pretty big, though had been hidden from her original view of the southern half of the city; having been sitting off to the outside, out of the way. Lark got out, grabbing her bag out of the backseat as the driver – who had also gotten out – helped her get her suitcase out of the trunk.

"Thank-you," she said, handing over his payment with a small bow.

"Here's a tip. In Kalos, we say "Merci"," he said.

"Ah, than merci," Lark said.

"Avec plaisir," he responded, getting back into his car. "Hope you have a nice stay while you're here in Kalos."

And with that he drove away, leaving Lark standing in front of the monorail station.

"Well, I shouldn't probably just stand here," she said. "I need to get to the hotel."

She grabbed her suitcase with one hand and held on to the strap of the bag thrown over her shoulder with the other. With both bags in tow, she went to enter the station. But before she could even make it inside, a sudden force pushed her aside. It wasn't until she was face first on the ground before she realized she had been pushed.

"Move it étrangére!"

* * *

 **I was planning on getting to the hotel in this chapter, but I didn't. Oh well. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too slow for you guys, though.**

 **TRANSLATIONS:**

1.) "Merci" means "thank-you".  
2.) "Avec plaisir" is a strong form of "you're welcome", literally translating to "with pleasure".  
3.) "Étrangére" is the feminine use of "étranger" and means "foreign".*

*I used étrangére this time, as the driver was taking as about a general group, while this person is talking specifically about Lark [female]. I am assuming masculine would be used to refer to a general group, but I am only assuming.


	5. Chapter 4: The Monorail Snob

**So I found out two things over this week. One, my computer hates me. I typed this entire chapter up and it decided to freeze on me – twice – and delete all progress I made. Two, I am no good at updating daily. I will still try, but it probably isn't going to happen. I will definitely make it once a week at least. That I can do. I'm sorry.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Four: "The Monorail Snob"**_

* * *

Lark got up and brushed herself off. She went to look around for who pushed her down, but couldn't find anyone around who looked like they could own the voice who insulted her. Must be inside already, she figured; just like she was supposed to be, before that person knocked her down. All the energy Lark had accumulated during the cab ride was being drained just from that experience. And as Lark was remembering how pissed off she had just been, a loud, audible horn sounded off nearby. It could only mean one thing. Well, two things, but Lark highly doubted a boat could be sailing on ground, especially through mountains. That left the monorail and that it was either arriving or leaving. Either way, Lark needed to step it.

She swung open the doors and found people piling into the opened monorail.

"Last call for the monorail!" called out one of the operators.

"Crap!" Lark subsequently cried out.

She rushed to one of the cars, dragging her suitcase behind her. As the workers working the gates waved her on, she managed to get inside just as the doors were closing. She slid into an empty seat with a sigh as the monorail began to roll away. She rested one of her hands on her bag. We are almost done for today, she thought. She would soon be at her hotel and allow her Pokémon out of their Pokéballs. She would also finally be able to sleep. Sure, she was looking forward to roaming around Lumiose City, but she was more looking forward to sleeping.

"I told you, I'm going to Coumarine City," a blatantly loud girl spoke.

Lark looked around, recognizing the voice. She only heard it for a split second and while her face was eating dirt, but she recognized it. It was the same voice who had insulted her and called her an "estrangére". Lark looked around and finally found her.

A small girl sat in the opposite corner of the car with people trying to keep their distance from her as they ignored her. She looked young, like around ten or so. But with her attitude, you would think she was twenty. Her attitude was atrocious. People looked uncomfortable to be anywhere around her. She appeared to be speaking on a holographic phone-type device. Lark was a bit amazed with the technology – the closest thing Unova had to this was video chat through their C-gears – but quickly remembered she was angry with this girl.

"Oh, and I was almost late for the monorail because this stupid bimbo was blocking the door," she continued.

 _That bimbo being me, I guess,_ Lark thought.

She was boiling at this point.

"If only that bimbo could have stopped this one from entering," whispered a young man to the lady sitting beside him.

Lark overheard the lady respond with, "Si encore."

Lark didn't know what the lady meant, but she assumed she agreed with the man due to her nodding along. At least it didn't seem like other people were taking this girl's side. Though with the way she was acting, Lark would be more surprised if people did.

The girl did a quick scan of the car, glaring at anyone who looked at her. Her eyes stopped when they reached Lark's. Instead of the glare she gave the rest of the people, she saved an especially cruel sneer for Lark. Lark wasn't going to deal with this though. She was tired, was forced to wake up early for a crowded, bumpy flight, and was forced to eat dirt. She wasn't about to be sneered out too and just let it go. Lark threw a scowl back at the girl, who just scoffed and went back to her conversation.

 _What is this girl's problem? What did I do to her?_ wondered Lark.

Can people just hate people for no reason? If so, was that what was wrong with this girl? Did she just hate Lark for being _Lark_? Or did she have some silly, twisted reason that only she knew? Well, Lark didn't know of any reason for this girl to hate her.

The rest of the ride went by with the girl speaking even louder to her hologram buddy. The ride was probably less than five minutes, but it felt like fifty. Lark was getting a headache, along with the rest of the passengers. It would have been easier for Lark to have just caught the next ride, even if it meant waiting.

Finally the monorail came to a stop and the doors slid open. The girl was the first one off. And as soon as she was out of hearing, one could hear a harmonized sigh from the crowd. Lark shuffled off with her stuff near the end, managed to get out of the station with her lack of energy. That girl drained whatever energy she had left.

"He said the hotel would be nearby?" Lark mumbled to herself.

She looked around as she left the station. Coumarine City definitely deserved the title. It was huge, taking up the entire cliff side. Ocean stretched across one side of it, filled with docked boats of all kinds and water Pokémon jumping up to greet the fishermen. On the other side was the cliff, which featured beautiful flora and large rocks together. Lark imagined the first part of Coumarine that she saw on the other side of that cliff and how it gave no hint to the life on the other side. The city that was in the middle of the cliff and water stretched not as tall as Lumiose, though still held some stature.

As her eyes scanned the city, they fell upon a small building tucked between two large office buildings. It looked slightly out of place with its withered brick walls and falling apart shackle roofing between the two steel buildings. It looked old – and not old, like the buildings in Lumiose that had that rustic charm. This building did not look taken care of at all. In front of it stood a sign that read, "Coumarine Hotel, Toujours Autour".

The building looked a lot nicer in the flyers, but Lark wasn't looking to complain; at least not right now. She was too tired to. She only hoped the bed was nice and soft.

* * *

 **I'm planning on having the Pokémon show up next chapter, so there is something to look forward to. I am also planning on through in some action, so the chapter might be a bit longer.**

 **On a side note, I have started another story, also Pokemon. It is called " _Between You and Me_ ".This one will have a heavier feel to it, as it will have some semi-mature (?) themes to it, such as depression and war. It will be based around gijinkas, though will feature regular Pok** **émon, too. The story is currently open, but maybe not for long. And even though I will be starting this story, I will not be ignoring this story. Again, I will update this story at least once a week (seeing how I am having issues with one a day). Though I will try to aim for more than once a week; no promises however.  
**

 **TRANSLATIONS:**

1.) "Si encore" means "If only".  
2.) "Toujours Autour" translates to "Always Around".


	6. Chapter 5: Coumarine Hotel & Evil Stairs

**Remember to review!**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Five: "Coumarine Hotel and the Evil Stairs"**_

* * *

Lark opened the door to the hotel with hesitation. If it looked like that on the outside, she didn't know what to expect on the inside. Anyone given the situation would be a bit weary. And as she slowly opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised. She was at first greeted with a ring of a bell that chimed out as the door hit it. The melodic tone resonated throughout the front office, which ended up being a small room made up entirely of well taken care of wood. It had a ma-and-pa feel to it. She walked up to the front desk. Well, it was more of a short bureau than an actual hotel check-in desk. But still, Lark wasn't judging; it was cute and fit the motif.

She gently tapped the bell that sat on the desk and waited for help. It wasn't long after she did so that a small elderly woman walked in from a door to the side; one that Lark hadn't noticed at first.

"Bienvenue, welcome," the lady greeted.

She scurried over to behind the desk and took a seat. She looked up at Lark as the girl hovered over the desk, looking curious of everything. Lark met the old lady's eyes which beamed with kindness and warmth.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes actually. I'm here to check-in," Lark stated. "The reservation is under Lark Vogel."

"Ah, I see," the lady said, scanning a book that once laid close on the desk.

Peeking over, Lark could see a list of names and some number beside them. She assumed it was the log book. Her name was probably amongst them, or at least – if the log book – it should be.

"Here you are," the lady said.

A breath of relief escaped her lips. After the day she had been having, she was afraid the reservations wouldn't be there.

"Lark Voogle," the lady repeated.

"Vogel," Lark corrected. She had just said her name and it was already being mispronounced.

"Right, Vogel," the lady corrected herself, though she never stopped smiling.

She reached forward and pulled out a key from an upper drawer in the desk, handing it over to Lark as she wrote down some stuff.

"Your room will be number five," she said. "Just head through that door, go up the stairs to the third floor, and it will be on your left."

"Thank-you," Lark said, bowing to the lady. "Oh, I mean merci."

The woman's smile grew wider as Lark tried to thank her in French. With the nod of her head, she replied with a, "Avec plaisir et bonne journée."

Lark didn't bother asking the lady what she meant, as she could guess it went something along the lines with "have a nice day" or something else you would say at a hotel.

She left the old woman at the desk with a smile and went through the door the woman had mentioned. It was the same one the woman had come out of. Straight ahead through the door were a staircase on one side and a long, narrow hallway on the other. Down the hallway looked like a living area, which probably was the old woman's. Pushing passed her curiosity to check out what was down the hallway, Lark made her way up the stairs. Being on the top floor was nice and all, especially with no one being above you when you're trying to sleep. But caring up two heavy bags up two flights of stairs was a bother.

Lark had only gotten up half of the first staircase when a voice called down from above.

"Would you like some help?"

The area had been relatively quiet as Lark struggled, minus the noise that was coming from the city outside. When the voice broke that, Lark jumped a bit. She looked up the stairs to see a boy standing flawlessly at the top. He didn't look too nice, though not mean either. He just looked present. His facial expression was a straight one as he stared at Lark.

"That's a yes or no question," he said, repeating, "Would you like some help?"

Lark shook her head, coming back down to earth.

"Um, sure," she answered.

The boy gave a slight nod and trotted down the stairs. His feet would click with each step against the hardwood of the stairs. It sounded like he was a show Ponyta. He appeared beside Lark quickly enough and grabbed her suitcase. He may not have looked it, but he was strong. He picked up the heavy suitcase without breaking a sweat. Lark followed him as he easily and swiftly walked up the staircase.

"Which room?" he asked.

"Five," she said. "The lady said it was on the third floor."

The guy let out a small sigh. Lark managed to catch it, though he obviously didn't mean for her to. Lark felt a bit bad for this guy. She knew how heavy the suitcase was and he was carrying it up two flights of stairs. He was being very kind.

Without any complaining, aside from the sigh, the boy continued up the next flight of stairs silently. Lark followed behind him, watching him from a safe distance. When she first saw his face, she didn't expect him to be so helpful. He looked pretty much apathetic to those around him. She looked at the back of his head. Bits of black hair peeked out from beneath the darkly coloured beanie stretched over his head.

Just as they were reaching the last bit of stairs, calamity happened. The boy hit the last step and his foot got caught. He flew forward, letting go of Lark's suitcase in the process. Thankfully Lark was able to stop her suitcase from rolling down the stairs, but she was unable to help stop the boy from landing face first on the floor at the top.

"Are you okay?!" Lark asked.

She wanted to go up and help the boy, but was held back by the weight of her suitcase. She began to drag the thing up the stairs, turning back occasionally to look at the boy out of concern.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, sitting up.

His expression changed. No longer was he wearing one of calmness and levelness. Instead it was replaced with a flustered look and his cheeks burning red. The poor guy was embarrassed.

"Are you sure? That was a nasty trip," Lark said, finally reaching the top.

The guy got up and brushed himself off as Lark plopped down the suitcase and her bag on the even floor, away from the staircase.

"I'm fine," he said, turning away from her. "I meant to do that."

"Oh," she said.

It was obvious he didn't, but humorous that he was trying to play it off like he did in a smooth manner. She chuckled.

"It's not ladylike to laugh at others misfortune," he pointed out.

"But I'm not laughing at your misfortune, as you meant to do that. Right?" she asked.

The guy shrugged.

"So really, I'm pleased at your aerobatics," she said, continuing to laugh.

"Right," he said. "If you think you can get it from here, I'll be on my way."

He turned back around and began to walk down the stairs.

"Oh, thank-you," Lark called out, remembering how he helped her. "If there is anything you need help with, feel free to ask. My name is Lark."

The boy didn't turn back around to look Lark, just lifting his hand in a simple wave-gesture.

"Adieu Lark," he said, disappearing onto the second floor.

* * *

Nathaniel managed to make it onto the second floor and out of view of the girl quickly enough. He stumbled over to a wall and leaned up against it. That fell hurt. He landed on his nose. Thankfully Lark didn't notice and he was able to play it off smooth enough. Still, it felt like his nose was swollen.

"That is the last time I offer to carry someone's luggage," he grumbled.

He remembered Lark laughing at him. Not at all ladylike, yet she didn't seem to care when he pointed it out. How inappropriate. At least some people are concerned about how they are viewed.

Nathaniel brushed himself off again and took a deep breath. He had plans for today that were not going to be hindered by falling on some stairs and being laughed at by some weird girl.

"There you are, Nathaniel."

The black-haired boy turned around to find a certain blonde girl standing behind him.

"Why do you look so red?" she asked, walking up to him.

She gestured specifically to his nose and cheeks. He was even more troubled now knowing that his worries were right and he was indeed reddened.

"Bonjour to you too, Eleanor. I was helping this one girl and fell," he explained.

"Imbécile," she mumbled, shaking her head.

"What's more, the girl laughed after I fell," he continued.

"How improper," she said.

"That's what I thought," he agreed.

"Well, we should get going," Eleanor said. "We will be late for our lunch reservation."

"Oh, right," Nathaniel said.

He walked over to the stairs and stopped. Sweeping his hand out in a polite gesture, he motioned for Eleanor.

"Ladies first," he said.

"Thank-you," she said, walking down the stairs with him following behind.

* * *

 **What do you guys think? I was planning on having Pokémon show up this chapter, but I couldn't pass up the chance to introduce a couple characters. We will be seeing more of Nathaniel soon enough (he is not as big of an ass as he is portrayed here to be, I promise) and seeing Eleanor in the future.**

 **TRANSLATIONS:**

1.) "Bienvenue" means "Welcome".  
2.) "Et" is "and".  
3.) "Bonne Journée" translates to "Good Day", generally meaning "Have a nice day".  
4.) "Adieu" means "Good-bye".  
5.) "Bonjour" means "Hello".  
6.) "Imbécile" translates to "Imbecile/Idiot".


	7. Chapter 6: A Room with Pokemon

**Shameless plug at the end of the chapter, so warning. Be sure to check it out if you like SYOC's and Avatar: the Last Airbender.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Six: "My Room with Two Emotional – or Not – Pok**_ **é** _ **mon"**_

* * *

With a click of the lock and a push of the door, Lark was introduced to her room; where she would be staying for as long as it would take. It wasn't big, but it was nice enough and it defiantly had a "Kalos" influence to it. There was a twin-sized daybed tucked into the corner. The frame of the bed was a silver metal that was bent in a nice, simple, though majestic-ish design. It the other corner was a small kitchenette that featured a fridge, sink, and stovetop. It was basic, but enough for the fourteen-year old. There were also two wooden doors, each opposite of the other. Lark figured one was the restroom and the other a closet.

She plopped down on the bed, leaving her bags near the wide open door. She was pooped. Today had been a rough day, which she hadn't expected. She just wanted to get there and spend the rest of the day relaxing. It was still relatively early and she could still, technically, but she didn't really want to. All she wanted to do now was stay in her room and probably nap.

Her eyes fell onto the bags near the door. Oh, there was another thing she wanted to do too, something she apparently kept forgetting about.

She hopped up, regretting soon after as blood rushed to her head. She faltered over to the door and scooped up the shoulder bag. She closed the door and walked back over to her bed. She again, plopped down, this time with her bag. From her bag she pulled out small, red and white Pokéballs. They grew in her hand, after which she tossed them to the floor in front of her. Instead of bouncing to the floor, they were each replaced with a flash of white light. When the light disappeared, two creatures appeared in front of her.

"Glad to be out?" she asked them, but paused. "Why the grumpy face, Ducklett?"

One of the two Pokémon that appeared was a Ducklett; a small, blue duck-like Pokémon. Usually Lark's Ducklett was happy. Though a bit of a troublemaker, he tended to wear a smile on his face. But this time he was visually grumpy.

"Duk! Duk!" he complained.

He huffed at Lark and turned his back on her. He looked around the room, showing open disgust to his surroundings.

"Duk, duk!" he continued.

It was like he was saying, _what is this place?_ He was gesturing at the kitchenette when Lark finally got irritated.

"Look, I told you we were traveling and would be staying in a hotel room for a while," she snapped. "I know I told you that, so I know you know and should not be acting this way."

She lectured the Pokémon, though Ducklett showed no change in attitude. He continued to mumble as he explored the room, figuring out how to open the doors – they did lead to the bathroom and a small closet. However as Ducklett did that, the other Pokémon just stared up at Lark. He was a Shelllos from the East Sea of the Sinnoh region, made obvious by his blue and green colouring. Lark got Shellos from her father when she was younger, making him her first Pokémon. He was a lot calmer than Ducklett and defiantly more emotionally stable.

"Shellos," Lark said upon noticing his stare. "You're at least happy to be here, right?"

Shellos' expression didn't change. He just moved over to Lark's feet.

"Shell," he said.

She understood the Pokémon's "up" and picked him up, placing him on the bed beside her.

"It's kind of small, but we won't be staying in here all the time so we should be good," she said. "I'm planning on exploring this region when I'm not trying to get into Lycée."

"Duk-let," Ducklett muttered.

"I'm tired, so I would like to take a little nap," she said. "But maybe we could explore Coumarine later. Would you guys like that?"

Ducklett stop and looked back at her. Lark took this as an apparent "yes, I would". She looked down at Shellos, whose emotions did not change. But being the Shellos she knew, he would pretty much follow her anywhere.

Lark lied down on the bed – over the blanket. Shellos took the liberty to curl up in her arms. Ducklett continued to walk about the room, until settling in front of the window and watching what he could outside; which was a merely the backyard filled with flowers and other greenery. Lark watched him as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **I did a short chapter today. I didn't feel like trying to stretch this chapter out much more, though look on the good side, I finally introduced Pokemon in a Pokemon story! Milestone achieved! But no, I'm happy I finally got here as I was afraid I never would. Every time I was planning on introducing Pokemon, I would start typing and then it would feel weird. I wanted something to flow and this apparently did it the best. Not all Pokemon will be introduced in such a manner – again, the "Hi-My-Name-Is-Blablabla" way; not entirely, but very similar that way.**

 **Be sure to review and have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.**

 ***Shameless plug below***

 **I have decided – with nothing better than to add another story to my plate – to add, of course, add another story to my plate. Though I wanted to stray away from Pokemon, having two stories already; So I am proud to introduce my first ever Avatar: The Last Airbender story, "My Precious Bell".**

 **It takes place in a world where the Fire Nation took over the world; defeating the Air Nomads, the Earth Kingdom, and the Water Tribe. The war had been going on for years, but finally ended. Or so the Fire Nation thought. A group of rebels are willing to do what it takes to bring back the balance. It is an SYOC and is currently** **CLOSED** **! Here's a look at it.**

" _I live in a world where people can do wondrous things. Where a person can make waves with just a gesture of their hand; or another person can move a mountain with a simple kick; or someone can summon a flame with a flick of the fingers; or a person can fly with the help of a plain stick. Or so they used to. No more thanks to my home, the Fire Nation. Now the fairytale that used to be my world has been changed, stained by blood and turned into one filled with war. Now those people who could once make waves are being arrested; those who moved mountains being forced into servitude; the people who once flew free now grounded forever; and those who summon flames burn everything to the ground in front of them. This is my world, but not for long._ _ **"**_


	8. Side Chapter 1: Through a Window

**Remember to review. It is what keeps me going! :)**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Six & a Half: "Through a Window"**_

* * *

Ducklett just stared at Lark as she continued to sleep deeply. Her face was morphed into a weird, misshapen expression with her jaw dropped open. This was framed with an already messy mane of hair, though she had only been sleeping for around half an hour. Her snores filled the room. One would defiantly be surprised that no one has complained yet. There was one thing about Lark; she was a deep sleeper.

The duck Pokémon just shook his head and went back to looking out the window. He had more important issues to deal with. Like how he was going to get out of this room. Ducklett was never one to just sit still, and defiantly not to be confined to a single room. It didn't work that way for him. He needed out; he needed space. He stared out the window from the third story room, down to the garden below. He wanted out.

Shellos however didn't care. He remained curled up with Lark, simply relaxing. He could easily ignore Lark's noise and wasn't easily "suffocated" like Ducklett was.

Shellos squinted, barely opening his eyes, and glanced over at the water bird Pokémon. Ducklett didn't notice the new attention, instead continued to pace in front of the window, occasionally looking out it.

"Sheh… Shell-os," Shellos muttered.

Ducklett stopped and looked over at the blue sea slug Pokémon. Ducklett looked irritated at whatever Shellos had said; though it could easily be determined it had something to do with the duck's pacing. Whatever it was, Ducklett wasn't having any of it.

He puffed out his chest and squawked, "Dook-let!"

Ducklett readied himself, looking at if he was going to attack. However Shellos didn't seem fazed. Instead he closed his eyes once more and curled back up with Lark. Ducklett was taken aback by Shellos's lack of energy, almost seeming insulted. Ducklett huffed and dropped his stance. It was like he was getting nowhere, probably because he wasn't. Arguing with Shellos was like smack-talking a wall; it didn't do anything to the wall and just made you look stupid. Everyone, even the thickheaded Ducklett, knew that. All he could do was go back to staring out the window and wishing he was down in the garden instead of stuck in the room with a snore machine and a brick, sluggy wall.

Just as Ducklett was staring to zone out something caught his attention. The garden had been lacking any activity, so when movement happened, Ducklett noticed. Amongst the radiant flowers appeared a small, claret-coloured figure. Ducklett pressed his face against the glass of the window as he stared down at the new Pokémon. It was slender and petit, though had a strength behind its large brown eyes that Ducklett was entranced by. Through the Pokémon did not see Ducklett from his third-story window, he felt like he could see every detail of the fiery Pokémon.

He continued to gawk, so much so he didn't notice the click of the window. Or the creaking it gave. Only when it was too late did he notice anything. The window somehow had become unlocked and opened due to Ducklett pressing up against it. Without much more warning than a couple of subtle noises – that were drowned out by Lark anyhow – Ducklett feel out the window. Thankfully, he was the only one not paying attention. Shellow somehow managed to rush over to the window, catching Ducklett's foot in his mouth.

"DUCK!" shouted the Pokémon in pain.

Shellos wasn't particularly happy about the situation either. He didn't like having Ducklett's nasty feet in his mouth. Shellos tried to pull up the struggling Ducklett. As Ducklett struggled, his eyes caught those of a certain brown-eyed beauty. The beauty looked up at him, confused, before darting off. Ducklett stared as his newly founded crushed ran away.

Thankfully, Shellos managed to pull Ducklett in before collapsing on the floor. And due to all the noise, Lark woke up, though not with as much energy as she probably should have had.

"What's going on here?" she snapped, rubbing her eyes.

The two Pokémon remained quiet as they looked at the tired girl.

"No answer, huh? You were all too willing to be noisy only a couple of seconds ago and now you're silent," Lark snapped. "Fine, it looks like you guys don't want me to get any sleep or at least want to disrupt it for whatever reason. As punishment, we will not go exploring today. You're stuck in this room for the rest of the day."

And with that, Lark fell back asleep. Ducklett stared at Lark and then back at the open window. It didn't hit him right away what just happened. Shellos, however, was much quicker.

"Shell," said the sea slug Pokémon as he sent a – rather tame version of – water pulse at the other Pokémon.

Ducklett hit the wall, now soaking wet. Instead of reacting like he normally would, he just sat there, thinking of the fox-like Pokémon he had connected with, at least on some level, in the garden. He wondered if he would ever see them again. Shellos just shook his head at the dazed duck Pokémon and hopped back up on the bed. He curled back under the arm of Lark and dozed off himself, leaving Ducklett alone with his daydreams.

* * *

 **I decided to take a break last two weeks due to Christmas and New Year's. I did publish the first chapter of "My Precious Bell", but that's it. Everything else I decided to wait on. Anyway, here is a "half" chapter, or side chapter. I wouldn't consider this a real chapter, as it really solely focuses on the Pokémon. I won't have many of these. I just wanted to get something out there and couldn't think of a true chapter at the moment. Hope this was alright. Remember to drop a review on your thoughts. Also, if I have more side chapters, what would you like to see? More Pokémon chapters or maybe something else; tell me in the reviews.**


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